Top Mistakes Small Businesses Make With Their IT Solutions – Part One

PublishedAugust 3, 2012

Image Source: Flickr.com / dingler1109

When a business is first starting out, is it rare that technology needs are assessed. In fact, most businesses are trying so hard to get going that many get by with whatever technology they have, or whatever technology is cost effective enough to get by on for the short term.

But if your business doesn’t think about its technology and IT needs from the beginning, you could be making a big mistake. That’s because implementing the wrong solutions can cost you more than just money, it can also cost you employee productivity, office morale, and more.

Here are some of the top mistakes companies make when setting up IT support (part one). We hope this list helps your business avoid some costly mistakes.

“We don’t need an IT company.”

Often, particularly in the beginning, many businesses believe that they can get by without using an IT company. After all, Joe in accounting seems to know a lot about computers, you can just use him when you need to, right? Wrong. While Joe may be a computer whiz, IT support is not his expertise, accounting is, and while he’s wracking his brain on how to fix your computers, he’s not performing his actual job functions, costing you productivity.

Since IT support is not Joe’s specialty, he may create solutions which appear to work, but which are not truly in your company’s best interest. Instead, a professional IT company can assess your company’s needs and provide solutions which not only work in the short term, but will also grow with you as your company grows. And, Joe can get back to balancing the books, which is what you actually hired him for anyway.

“Can’t we just use the kid next door?”

We know the kid next door has been good to you. He fixes all your home computers, and does so at an affordable rate. Unfortunately, he falls in the same category as Joe – IT and true business level (enterprise-level) solutions aren’t his expertise, home computers are. There’s a reason there’s a separation between home and business in the computer world – the needs are distinctly different, and the kid next door just isn’t keyed into those needs. And if that’s not reason enough, we have 5 more reasons your business should use a professional IT company, instead of the kid next door.

“I can just go to the store and buy a computer. They’re only $300 anyway.”

Sure, inexpensive equipment can be tempting. After all, the price matches your budget perfectly. But remember, you get what you pay for, and there’s a reason that a cheap computer is cheap – it only has basic features. A $300 computer typically has a lower quality, slower processor, less memory, and entry-level components (like the network card). Additionally, cheaper computers tend to have much shorter warranties and support contracts, meaning you could be left in the lurch when your computer finally does break.

A professional IT company can help you mitigate costs, and get the best bang for your buck when it comes to your hardware. Additionally, an IT professional has experience with what hardware works best for companies like yours, which can save your business time and money.

And these are just a few of the top mistakes companies make when implementing IT solutions. Stay tuned for part two of this article, which comes out on Monday, to see what other top mistakes companies make and how to avoid them.